Marketing Australian public schools: the double bind of the public school principal

Marketization is the development of quasi-markets on systemic level, which promote choice, competition, accountability, and devolution in public schooling. Marketing a strategy that individual school leaders employ to respond these logics. This paper argues education marketization has led an increase school-based marketing within Australian system. The eight principals we report here, perceived as key technique shaping choice but paradoxically, felt they shouldn’t have market prospective families. In addition, some participants no longer like operated schools, rather, existed somewhere “grey zone” between private. We use Bateson’s concept double bind argue creating system performative pressures for contradict with their ethical values beliefs. not representative simple contradiction conflict, caught up ongoing produces conflicting definitions “publicness” understanding what schools are ought be.